Captured

Holden Downs is building Millennium City, but he has a problem with environmentalists who sue to stop the project. Downs is so obsessed with the project he puts his marriage to Fay in jeopardy, but Fay has to leave town for a few days to visit her sister Sheila.

After Robert tries to steal Downs' expensive car, Downs insists that Buddy upgrade the alarm system, which wasn't working properly. Buddy does more than that: he has a 'surprise' for the next thief. The title of the movie should be a hint as to the nature of that surprise.

The best parts of the movie deal with what happens when Robert tries again to steal the car. The actors playing Holden and Robert do their best work of the movie soon after the attempt. This part of the movie is actually funny! But there is quite a bit of blood. I don't know how much was edited for TV, but let me put it this way: I'm so glad I didn't sharpen my hedge clippers. I'm scared of hurting myself as it is.

It wasn't a great movie, but it had its good parts.

This is a film filled with violence and language. It is not for the faint of heart. Michael Mahonen plays Joey Breed, one of two brothers who try to steal a car from Nick Mancuso, as Holden Downs. Holden is having a bad day, and when the Breed Brothers try to steal his car...he breaks Joeys' arm with a tire iron. Rob rescues Joey and swears his will steal Holdens car.

The trouble starts when Rob goes to Holdens' house to carry out the theft. From this point on it is hard to tell who is the "good guy or the bad guy".

The plot twists and turns...and there is a surprise ending.This is not a movie to watch if you are home alone.

Michael Mahonen is my favorite actor; I wish his part had been bigger...what he did was good, and he was believable ( as always). At one point I liked him better than the "good guy" who was having his car stolen.

Hope Nick Mancuso uses Michael in more films...he was excellent in Captured.

Nick Mancuso is highly amusing (and scary!) as the jittery, stressed out, paranoid, @$$hole head honcho at Millennium Investments, who snaps when one of those pesky environmental groups threatens to halt his newest endeavor and destroy his business. After a pair of car thieves try to break into his cherished Porsche, Mancuso has his brother install a high-tech, radio-controlled security system with bulletproof glass and steel reinforcement. He manages to trap one of them (Andrew Divoff) inside the car in the garage of his mansion home, really loses it and takes out his psychotic rage on the poor sap; torturing him with loud heavy metal music, refusing to give him food or water, rolling up his arm in the window, chopping off his fingers with hedge clippers and more!

It's a little too similar to MISERY at times but a good nasty thriller all the same. Mancuso (also the associate producer) pulls out all the stops here--crying, screaming, ranting, snarling, cringing and gloriously overacting and Divoff is equally effective in the less-showy role.

Impressive writing/directing debut from actor Peter Liapis!

When a man can't tolerate anyone coming between him and his dream, he becomes unable to understand what's going on with him. The biggest unfortunate is we don't know that we are wrong and when we realize, it's too late to go back.

It's true that we have choices but in this movie, the car theif Robert had choice not to go back for Holden. At the same time, Holden was a selfish businessman, not giving damn to environment, and believing himself a victim of American justice systems. He could have understood that housearrasting an intruder car thief, chopping of his fingers, avoiding a police help would have done only harm.

When Holden Downs (Nick Mancuso) takes his pent-up frustrations, due to a business venture going south, out on a car-thief, breaking his arm in the process, the sad sap's brother/partner-in-crime swears vengeance making getting Downs' car top priority. Little realizing that Holden has turned his vehicle into an inescapable prison.

The interaction between Mancuso and Divoff as captor and captive respectively is where this film shines. However the flip side is that everything else just feels lackluster. All the scenes dealing with the failing business deal, are sadly pedestrian stuff. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy the film overall and was pleasantly surprised.

My Grade: B-